A reader asks: Why is Linux still not as user friendly as the two other main OSes with all the people developing for Linux? Is it because it is mainly developed by geeks?
My initial feeling when reading this question was that it was kind of a throwaway, kind of a slam in disguise as a genuine question. But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I felt. There truly are a large amount of resources being dedicated to the development of Linux and its operating system halo (DEs, drivers, apps, etc). Some of these resources are from large companies (IBM, Red Hat, Novell). Why isn't Linux more user-friendly? Is this an inherent limitation with open source software?

I had to use Windows 7 for the first time the other day. I couldn't find the control panel that downloads and installs applications (handling dependencies automatically). I actually had to manually go to websites, download 'installers' and 'run them'. Weird. It didn't come with an office application, and the browser was rubbish. What gives?